ONE Country!

... Readers from countries other than India, this might not be of your interest.

Feel free to scroll down directly to the outfit :)

If you don't like something, change it.

If you can't change it, then change your attitude.

Don't complain. - Maya Angelou

I worry about my country. A. LOT. While the world admires our culture, diversity, and traditions ... us Indians we see those exact same things and call them our differences on the basis of race, caste and color.

Any logical person would know that no city (or country/or person) is without its faults. Every region has something to offer while it lacks in something else. Wasn't that the whole point of bringing all the states together and making India, ONE country? So that we can co-exist and reap the benefits of a nation? Can one single state, honestly say that they are self sufficient and will be able to survive on their own? That's fundamental economics, which any one who went to school would know!

Of course, while growing up I have been naive enough to become part of many discussions where Delhi was being pinned against Bombay and I felt I had to stand up for my city. But today I know better! I might not have the power to control everyone but I would not participate in such a discussion even if it is done in 'good' humor. For I know that such discussions never reach a conclusion but definitely sew seeds of racism/regionalism. As educated-internet-savvy-well-traveled-responsible-adults, we all should think (more than) twice before we even try and make joke (or remark) which has even a hint of racism or discrimination (don't even get me started about people who write full-fledged blog posts!).

The world is moving at lightening speed, while we are still arguing over whether Bombay (will some Thackeray come and kill me if I don't call it Mumbai?) is better than Delhi or South Indian food is better than North Indian food or if more color and tradition lies in West India than East India. I mean, who cares?We all are luckily part of the same country and do not have to choose! Shouldn't we be glad about that? ... Or would we rather, prefer to live in a world where we needed visa and passport to go from Madras (oh shoot!) ChennaitoBegaluruBangalore (darn!)& from Orissa (Blah!)OdishatoPashim BangaWest Bengal(Mehh!)? I mean, just imagine GOA not being part of 'YOUR' country? [That got your attention, didn't it? ;)]

SO, until WE do not stop dissecting our country in to regions and start seeing it as ONE, there is little-to-no-hope of real advancement! I kid-you-not!

I totally agree with you, such comparison discussions are completely unproductive, no matter what 'humor' they are done in. No man, no country, no state is perfect. But we always strive to be perfect, and finding fault in another is certainly not the way to go.

I always hated this north indian - south indian divide and get disturbed when a person who is not originating from the same city or state is tagged as an outsider and is discriminated! Let us be Proud to be Indian and ONLY Indian and celebrate our unity in diverstiy! Jai Hind!

That's one beautiful and thoughtful post... I wonder why people don't understand that we're all Indians. My friends tease me because I'm Bihari. Damn, who cares? Atleast I don't 'coz this doesn't make me feel ashamed of who I am. I'm proud to be a Bihari... That's what I tell them. And believe me, it does shut there mouth... ;)

Hi tanvii I love the "T" in your new avatar! Your fish tail braid looks awesome...now I need to do an outfit post with mine. It took me a LONG time to finally learn to do a fish tail braid I should really show it off right?

Lovely post! It's great to learn about different cultures and like you said, all countries have their problems, but we should focus on the things that bond us. Great outfit! Unusual combination I couldn't have imagined! And I love the fishtail! I'd sure appreciate a tutorial of how you did that!! Have a lovely day :)

I was born & raised in Mumbai & Mumbai being the cosmopolitan city that it is I've always seen many cultures thrive together in one small area.Its surprising how India with its numerous languages & cultures has been co existing for so long.But on the other had we do have communal riots,The North & South divide,Naxalites,etc.Instead of wallowing in the past & having debates about who came first & what language we should speak,India should infact move towards the betterment of our society as a whole & not think about the past.I totally agree with you & thanks for making other Indians aware of this :)

This north-indian, south-indian discrimination has been going on for a long while... And then you have caste discriminations, and some more sub-divisions in those castes... Its funny how we are so hell bent on 'dividing' everything... and its those same people who stand united in trivial matters like cricket! I have nothing against cricket but somewhere our priorities are all wrong...

And all those replies to that 'letter to a delhi boy' are as bad as the original letter... There's no end to that argument if you keep hurling insults at each other..Glad you brought this up!

Dress worn as top!! Wow...u r so versatile dear...and abt wht u hav said abt India, i m waiting for the day when we will stop fighting over states and provinces. I just hope we get to see that day soon!

Those first few lines quoted are fantastic! And yes, you've written down what many of us feel. I mean, living in Delhi and looking like a 'Japanese' (random strangers in metro have asked me if I am from Japan) and being teased at by shopkeepers in Palika Bazaar (and many other places) as 'Chiniya' and other words (Which I don't even want to start with); I wonder if people even think once before acting so ignorant. And we have some who discriminate so openly through the medium of a 'blog'! They really need a change in their attitude. Oh yes they do!Moving on, LOVE what you're wearing and you look gorg as always!<3

Wow everyone has read that woman's tripe?! I am glad you didn't link to her poison like so many others are doing and adding to her new found fame. I just don't understand why people spew so much venom against their own people?!!! And the lates wave of name change has made me so mad!!!! I hate all these new names. I never call Bombay by any other name, ditto for Calcutta and West Bengal will always be just that to me. I can barely pronoucne Poschim Bongo and I am Bengali. I hate this! I wish people would focus their energies on good rather than pulling each other down and changing names!

im assuming you've read the open letter to a delhi boy!! such BS!! often its us citizens who spark racial fires!! and its even more unfortunate when its the educated talking! Im 100% on the same page as you!! A drastic change in attitude is NEEDED!!!

not being Indian, I'm going to comment on the outfit!First of all the braid is fabulous, especially since you have long hair!Next, I like the mix and match of colors and patterns. It works out really well!Anna

Don't even get me started here. You brought tears to my eyes. Really this is something we just can't explain to the outer world is it? I remember while growing up, I would always squirm when someone asked me the question "what is your name" because I knew it would lead to the grilling: so if this ois your last name, then you must be from this part of the country, this must be your caste and this must be how you eat, drink, think.

I hated it! I still hate it, this tendency for people to stick labels on your forehead to try and categorize "who you are".

I grew up all over India as daddy was in the army. I had the blessing of having been to places of worship from every major and almost all minor religions of India, having celebrated festivals with no bearing to my"own" (whatever that is!)and had picked up a smattering of languages not my "own" (that word again!) So when people would ask me where I was from, I would reply "India". That was sufficient for me.

Sorry for the long comment--this is just one of those topics that gets me at the core. But, again and as always, I totally get your post....

I totally agree.I have faced some bias when I was in north for some time ''coz I am a south indian.I really don't understand it.aren't we all fundamentally indians before all the racial and regional lines are drawn ........whatever! as u said, these are discussions which are just stupid and futile and even I don't participate in those kind of talks.By the way love the outfit and those shoes look stunning!!!! :)

I was going to write something on similar lines..it never makes sense to compare sensibilities and choices..asking everyone to be compassionate every time is too much..but we can be politely considerate and take things easily and not personally!!

Also the skirt automatically takes me back 12 years :) (grandfather had gifted me similar one!)

I couldn't agree more!There are two distinct groups in our college-Bengalis(majority,that is)and non-Bengalis!I find it disgusting,to say the least!Why can't they just be friends?You see,if you start dividing yourselves into groups,there'll be fat Bengalis and non-fat Bengalis,and then rich and poor,well-dressed and not-so-well-dressed,Engineers and non-Engineers and so on...It just drives me crazy!

This is a great post Tanvi and am so glad you wrote it. There's good and bad in every city and the best thing to do would be embrace both. It makes no sense to make sweeping generalizations about communities and then publish them for the world to read! I wish our generation would at least try to 'be the change'.

I totally agree with all your sentiments up there! I mean, would it have been a different city if we called Mumbai Bombay??? Or, I've always been a citizen of West Bengal.......can't really start imagining myself living in Paschim Banga! (D-uh!)What really matters is that we all Indians live peacefully together making our state boundaries mere lines on a 2D map.......that's what!

It's a very stimulating blog post and indeed a topic that we can all go on and on and on...and YOU KNOW WHAT...everybody I think will support and mirror the opinions you indicated. It's sad that in this generation where education and information and 'forward' minds dominate the public sphere, debates on MY SIDE IS BETTER than your side exists.

Inferiority, superiority or whatever complex- it simply sucks! Let's hope people get bored, move on and if need be limit their comparisons to the horse power in their cars or the zero's their mansion cost them!

Love the photographs and love how the surroundings match your outfit..A rocks and the braid rocks!! MUAH!

Love your outfit esp the skirt..and Love your post! I feel we as Indians are more judgmental about ourselves than anyone else can ever be! I think I know where this post is coming from :) It is one thing to laugh at ourselves and another thing to completely get out there and derogate and 'stereotype' a particular state! I am so with you on whatever you said on the post :) Good job!!

i usually go directly to your pictures but you made me to read this post after your first 2lines.. :Pmy friend and i had the same discussion last night when i was trying to explain how people here (in USA) also are still showing the regional feeling and making fun of it.. i cant stop saying this.. CRAP! anywayi love this skirt and the style of plaiting your hair..

ok, before I even comment about the points u put up, I have to say this is probably my fave outfit on this blog...very very sexy!! ok..i am positively drooling :D

And yes, I agree... these discussions (which state/region better etc) are very childish (for the lack of better word). If discussions do not result in any change or awareness, then what is the use of them? being possessive about our roots/place of origin is natural, but then roots lie in India and not a particular state!!

Is this really so? Delhi vs Bombay/Mumbai? Sounds silly to me, but it seems an old game. I remember when I moved to Berlin in school everyone laughed just at the mentioning of Munich... It's the same everywhere it seems.Gorgeous skirt and look, Tanvi!

Frustrating as it is, some conversations are better left. I have some very definite views about things but I know I am not going to change someone.....sometimes I try but sometimes if is just exhausting.

I totally agree! I have seen many of these seemingly small divisions separate Indians among many lines and people seem to have the wrong focus. But this is certainly something that exists in many countries. The key part is how they handle it!

Cor, this is a post and half girl! Yup, the bit about Goa sure got my attention. I've never been to India, but sure is on my list of places to discover. I had no idea about the necessity of visas! The country should work as a whole!

I love this post! I think it is very important to stop discussing our differences and focus on our unity. I haven't lived in India for years and I spent most my adolescent life is the US. I dont know much about current affairs but aggressive discussions on regional differences are pointless and have never made sense to me.

Totally, totally agree with you! And I would go so far as to say that I think India should have never split up - Pakistan and Bangladesh would probably be much better off if they were still part of India! I really don't see any reason to divide people by religion when (a) most of their traditions/customs are the same as each other despite the religious barrier, (b) they speak the same language, (c) there are so many Muslims in India still anyway! But I suppose that's a discussion for another time.

Love this look on you. It's one of my favorite, ever! That top/dress is amazing and that necklace is stunning! Oh and your braid!!!

1 - I LOVE your outfit! Those shoes look really comfy, and I love the pale pink colour and pleats of your skirt... Oh, and the necklace. & the bag. & the colours of the top go with pretty much everything in the outfit. Awesome outfit, basically. :P2 - I think this post is really interesting, and I totally understand how detrimental it can be for something that should be united - like a country or a religion - to be further separated. I'm Jewish, and depending where Jews are from in the world, they can either be Sephardic or Ashkenazi - the former is if you're from Spain or North Africa (my maternal side) and the latter is if you're from Europe, especially Eastern Europe (my paternal side). No matter which side I personally prefer, I have the best of both worlds and customs, but I recently discovered that much more orthodox Jews don't let their children, who are from one regional sect, marry someone from the other regional sect?! I was livid when I heard that - Jewish people only take up about 2% of the entire world population and you're dividing the percentage even further?!All to say, I understand your frustration. In a roundabout way. LOL.Why WERE the names of the cities changed, anyways?And, oh, why were Bombay and Delhi "put against" each other? Is one much more traditonal or modern than the other?I find it disgusting when people make jokes about racism - it's offensive to the people you're joking about and it can create problems - if someone hears a joke about a culture, country, or religion often enough, he/she might start to think it's true, AND it definitely leads to silly stereotypes!...There are bloggers who literally write full-length posts that have racist tones to it? UGH.

Oh, Goa IS in India? I don't get that comment...?

- Laura S / sparksignite987@gmail.com(I remember you saying that you preferred answering to questions in comments by email? Am I wrong?)

I love your fishtail braid. You have beautiful hair. i am trying to grow mine to a similar length but it won't be as pretty as yours. Mine insists on being frizzy!! As far as the regionalism goes> I think the U.S. went through a similar type of thing after the Civil War with the North and the South. Also know as the Yankees and the Rebels. "Carpetbaggers" was a term used to identify the Northerners who came South to take advantage of those who could no longer afford to pay taxes and lost their homes. The most important part is that we are all Americans despite being Northern or Southern. Unfortunately, people always make generalizations and categorize not only people but also things. Somehow I think it is in our human nature to place labels on everything. But I don't think that means we should be hateful or discriminatory about it. Great post!!